GAME TODAY @ 3pm!

Boston, MA (July 30, 2014 ) - The Boston Cannons will return home after being defeated on the road by the Florida Launch. There won't be much room for rest in this inaugural rivalry as they face the Launch for the second straight week at Harvard Stadium this weekend. The Cannons, who are now desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, will look to avenge a bad loss to the Launch in Boca Raton, Florida last Saturday.

The loss was the second loss in a row for the Cannons and bumped the team out of the 4th playoff spot and into a tie with the Launch for 5th place in the MLL standings, 1 place out of the playoffs. The Launch got their first win in their previous 6 games to stop their skid in a dominating fashion against the Cannons.

"It's going to be a challenge getting back up after that loss, but we are ready to rise to the occasion," said Cannons Head Coach John Tucker.

The Cannons started off their game against the Launch extremely well when face-off specialist Chris Eck won the opening face-off, ran down the field and scored only 5 seconds into the game. The Cannons continued to dominate in the first quarter getting 5 goals, and leading 5-2 after 1 quarter. The second quarter was when the Cannons appeared to start to fall apart. The Launch rookie Kieran McArdle had a huge second quarter when he scored 5 goals and had 2 assists. After the Launch took the lead at the half they did not look back. At the half the Launch lead 11-9 and they did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.The fourth quarter was one of the most penalized quarters of the whole season with 13 penalties getting called for a total of 18 minutes in penalties.

This week’s game will be extremely important for both teams, as the winner will keep their slim playoff hopes alive while the loser will have to face the fact that they have one last game but will not make the playoffs. Last weekend the Cannons were led by Midfielder Paul Rabil who scored 3 goals and assisted on 5 other goals for 8 points. The Launch were led by Kieran McArdle who scored 5 goals, assisted on 5 others for 10 total points. Cannons goalie Jordan Burke had his most difficult game of the season allowing 16 goals on 24 shots in just 40 minutes of game time.

"We have to shake things up, change our game plan. We have to be better defensively," continued Head Coach John Tucker.

This week the Cannons will have to have a better game at the face-off X, the team won only 17 of 44 face-offs. The Cannons have won approximately 50% of their face-offs on the season and last week’s performance was far below average. The Cannons need their defense to limit the production of McArdle and also Casey Powell who is leading the league in points. The advantage that the Cannons have is that they will be extremely motivated to redeem themselves for their loss last weekend.

Cannons Leading the League:

-Kevin Buchanan is tied for first in the league with 5 power play goals, and is tied for fifth in the league lead the league in goals with 28

-Paul Rabil is leading league in assists with 31, is second in points with 52 and is tied for fouth in the league with 56 shots on goal.

-Chris Eck is leading the league lead with 89 ground balls collected.

o Has won 168 of 287 face-offs

-Chris Eck is leading the league lead with 89 ground balls collected.

-Jordan Burke is second in the league in minutes played with 701:28

o Tied for first in saves with 165

o One of 2 goalies to play in all 12 games

Breaking Records:

-Jordan Burke has 26 wins all time, making him the record holder of most all time wins in a Cannons uniform, he looks to continue to add to his win total

-Paul Rabil is 15 goals away from reaching 200 in his career

Matchup History:

-The Launch defeated the Cannons 23-17 in the first matchup in the team’s history.

About The Boston CannonsThe Boston Cannons are one of the founding franchises of Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league. They began play in June of 2001 and currently host home games at Harvard Stadium. They won their first MLL Championship on August 28, 2011. All tickets for the 2014 season are now on sale. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 617.746.9933 or visit www.BostonCannons.com